Sprint has begun including the following notice to customers receiving their latest invoice:

Regulatory Charge/Ts&Cs Changes
Effective 1/1/10, the Regulatory Charge will increase to $0.40/line. Visit Sprint Ts&Cs or sprint.com/taxesandfees for details; also effective 1/1/10, the Sprint Terms & Conditions (Ts&Cs) are changing. Please review them carefully at sprint.com or on request.

The updated terms and conditions for 2010 are now available for review, while the taxes and fees table has yet to be updated with the new regulatory charge information. As is the case with material changes, Sprint customers have 30 days from the receipt of the notice in the invoice to cancel service without a termination fee if one does not agree with the changes.

Update: In addition to the above changes, Sprint will also be assessing an additional $4.99 fee on accounts with spending limits on the same day, which is another material change to the agreement.

128 responses to “Sprint to Increase Per-Line Regulatory Fee to $0.40, Changes to T&Cs on January 10th, 2010 (Updated)”

Canceled service last night. When we called, the guy kept saying that we would have to wait until it was shown on our bill; however, when we read the line in the terms and conditions that says you can cancel without an ETF because of a material change to our contract and you have 30 days from the effective date — his tone changed. Then he tried to tell us he had to get permission from his manager who was conveniently not in office that day. My husband then told him we also wanted to cancel service because we don’t get reception in our house and have to go outside to make calls, that is why we were taking advantage of the changes. The guy canceled our contract after that.

Thanks for all the updates! Don’t let these salespeople push you around! Read your terms and conditions and know your rights before you call. They will tell you anything to keep you around.

I called up today Sunday the 3rd to cancel and was told that the change hasn’t been applied to my account and they won’t know until my next bill. I also told them that I no longer get bills because somehow I was pushed onto that unwanted green thing where I don’t get paper statements and therefore can’t keep an eye on what they’re doing. I’m going to be angry if this 40 cent change doesn’t affect me because I want out.

It worked!!! You really need to stand your ground on the phone with these people. It will take about a half hour of getting bounced around. But that only helped me to practice my “speech” … you MUST say the right things. Take your time, speak slowly and clearly, because you must say that you saw a new Regulatory fee increase on your bill which constitutes a material change to the Agreement and for this reason you would like to exercise your right to cancel your contract without any early termination fees. Make sure you get that all out! Then they will try to get you to admit the “underlying problem” of why you wanna cancel service but DO NOT oblige them. Insist that it is for the reason you stated (regulatory increase to $.40). They will continue to try to get you to say something but don’t. Things I heard that you probably will too: “Sir, this fee will not apply to all accounts, I do not see you’ve been charged for this on your bill, so I can’t do anything until I see it, you’ll have to wait until your next bill and see if it appears”. Okay, here’s where you need to really stand your ground. Here’s how I replied – ‘Now wait a second, right here on p.2 of my current bill I was notified that this change would begin on 1/1/10. According to your Terms of Service I’ve got the right to cancel without ETF if I call within 30 days of the EFFECTIVE date of the change. It says nothing about the billing date’. So quoting from the TOS worked for me. They will say anything to end the call without canceling you. So you must remain focused on your mission, don’t let them bs you, and do not get off the phone until your mission is accomplished. Also, make sure you write down the names of the reps you’re speaking with. Oh, and after you’re successful call back again. You’ll get a different rep this time. Just ask them to confirm the status of your account, and make sure it clearly states in their computer system that you will not be charged any ETF’s. That very last step was important for me because the idiot didn’t properly enter the info in his computer, which would have caused me to be billed for ETF’s… which would have been more headaches. I’ll be calling back again to confirm, confirm, confirm.

I’m not sure what the deal is with porting your number. What I do know is that the second you port out it automatically cancels your existing Sprint service. I’m not gonna risk it – I’ll just let my service completely cancel and then look for a new company. If at that time I cannot port, big deal, I’ll have a new cell number.

Hurray! It worked! I am FINALLY out of my contract with SPRINT and free to go elsewhere!

It took 3 calls today to get the job done! The first guy was MORE THAN helpful and willing to waive the ETF fees, no questions asked, but of course my signal faded and I had to call back. The 2nd guy was the EXACT OPPOSITE. He was RUDE and unwilling to help me at all. He came up with a story as to why he could not cancel that I hadnt even heard yet. I disconnected the call and called back a 3rd time. This time it was a woman, and she was more than helpful. She canceled my contract and waived the fees. Mission accomplished!

I called back and confirmed that the account was in fact canceled and that the fees were waived. I will most likely call back a couple more times to confirm just to be sure!

i just called and had them cancel. i was told that the eft will be waived and if i want to port the number. i can port number and then call back and have the fee’s waived. so i called and had them note the reason why i was terminating my contract. then im goin to port. then call back and have fee waived. i had her email me the notes she placed on my account with her name and employee number

Done deal for me, followed Felipe on January 4th, 2010, 7:49 am Post. Basically they zero out your contract. confirmed by checkign online and my contract expired effective today. can port my number out within 30days. Nexus One already delivered so will be trying that one now on no contract t-mobile plan.

If a change we make to the Agreement is material and has a material adverse effect on Services under your Term Commitment, you may terminate each line of Service materially affected without incurring an Early Termination Fee only if you: (a) call us within 30 days after the effective date of the change; and (b) specifically advise us that you wish to cancel Services because of a material change to the Agreement that we have made. If you do not cancel Service within 30 days of the change, an Early Termination Fee will apply if you terminate Services before the end of any applicable Term Commitment.

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After receiving the notice of this materially adverse change, I contacted Sprint, was disconnected once when attempting to speak to a supervisor, and then finally ended up speaking with a supervisor named Antonio (AXH9835) who repeatedly denied my request to have my account marked so that no ETF would be applied when I ported my numbers away (or mark my account as fulfilled). I specifically stated that per the Terms and Conditions I was contacting them within 30 days of the effective date of the change (per my bill) and that they were required per the contract to allow me to cancel my contract and port my numbers to another carrier without an ETF. He again rudely denied my request stating that even though the Terms and Conditions were stated as a described that they were under no obligation to cancel my contract.

Up until now I have been a relatively happy Sprint customer, but with this materially adverse change and my extremely poor experiences with the customer support department with respect to discussing these changes, once I have received confirmation that there will be no ETF applied, I will be porting my numbers to another carrier right away.

This is insane…you follow Sprint’s written instructions for dealing with this sort of thing and are rudely denied (how can you even deny this – it’s written clearly in their legal agreements?). I *was* a happy Sprint customer, but they’ve now lost my business. Beware of this company’s tricky maneuvering tactics.

After multiple phone calls (mostly with irate CSRs), I finally got one that was very interested in working with me. He was able to give me a $20/month credit to stay with Sprint and was very helpful – he reminded me why I stay with Sprint. Their customer service is generally excellent. It is too bad that I had to jump through so many hoops to get someone that really cared about my business.

Done deal for me as well. I also followed the advice from the “Felipe on January 4th, 2010, 7:49 am Post”. Called 888-211-4727 and the first person i spoke with followed suit as mentioned in the other post. I stood my ground and the rep asked if i wanted to be escalated to the resolution team and i said yes. A few minutes went by and she came back on and said that her supervisor approved the cancellation without the ETF. They sent me an email confirmation as well.

Well, after 24 years with sprint home, cell, and internet service, I dumped them. Enough of this! Who’s in charge of my finances and decisions to buy things, I am. I have finally come to the edge of the cliff. Sprint and no one else will push me around…telling me how I should pay a bill, autopay. Absolutely not! I’ve never used the credit that was extended to me. So on the 5th, I immediately had my number ported to another carrier. I bought a pay as you go plan. This is good enough for me. No taxes, no surcharges, and I’m saving 430.00 a year. It’s all about savings for me now. Heads Up, if you decide to cancel, please print out all your statements, if needed. Why? Well, I checked my account the very next day and they wiped me out of their system like I never existed. Unbelievable! Look, I’m at the point, if I have to use two cans and string to talk, so be it. No more fatting the pockets of corporations.

First off, I want to express that the supervisor I spoke with on the phone was courteous and helpful and made every attempt, given by corporate Sprint, to address and resolve my concern.

Unfortunately, corporate Sprint had made questionable limits on what could or could not be provide by its supervisors to resolve my concerns.

Corporate Sprint believes, and has instructed its employees, that this letter and $4.99 monthly fee outlines a customer benefit. However, it is obvious that a benefit would offer a customer a discount to create a desired action rather than impose a fee otherwise.

As I do not see how using auto pay to make monthly payments rather than my current payment method would provide Sprint with any cost savings, Sprint has assessed a penalty as a result of my decision. I presently have the freedom to use the sprint.com website to pay my bill a number of ways including credit card, debit card, checking account, and savings account. Corporate Sprint has decided this freedom is worth a fee of $4.99 per month.

As a result of Sprintâ€™s decision:

* I will not be renewing my subscription at the end of my contract date.
* I will not provide any word of mouth marketing to promote Sprint.
* I will actively support any sprint customer discontent legally available including Internet websites, chat rooms, and consumer support groups.
* I will pursue, support and advocate any class action suits that result from Sprintâ€™s decision.
* I will enjoy seeing how AT&T, Verizon, T-mobile, and other competitors will capitalize on Sprintâ€™s lack of insight with this decision.

If any Sprint employees are part of this group, I understand that you do not have direct voice in corporate matters. My hope is to teach you the difference between a benefit and a penalty. And to help you understand that if a company is attempting to generate immediate cash flow by imposing a penalty to its customers when that penalty does not justify a company expenses, the stability of the company is in question.

For all others, the Internet is a strong voice. We consumers have much more power over the success and failure of a business than in the past.

WOW! It worked…and can i just say Im AMAZED THAT IT DID! I stuck to my guns, used verbatim what many have used here, and after speaking with the cancelation reps sups its done. As soon as I port my #’s….which will be tomorrow with ATT, call back tomorrow night to sprint to confirm the porting, then on 1/31 when my acct cycles with the ETF’s charges on it I again refer to the material changes and the call today to sprint and they will be waived. I asked to have osmething emailed to me, she advsd she couldnt email me anything and nothing will show til ported, so I trust she kept her word. I spoke with Ivey and she was very professional and courtious and I assured her I will give her a good review when I get the survey call. INterestingly enough, her sup admitted to me that this is sprints fault for not making it clear that this should be from the DATE IT IS BILLED ON YOUR ACCOUNTS and that this happened the last time the did a change in terms and that you would assume they would have learned their mistake that time and corrected the wording on the bill but they didnt and he appologized. SO tomorrow I will be going to ATT and getting my beloved Iphone and I couldnt be happier. So now from the devil I knew to the new devil I dont know lol…gotta love cell phone carriers!

I just got off the phone with Sprint. I spoke to Alvin who was very helpful and accomodating. To make things easier for yourself, dial *2 Talk, then 5 (for more options), then 6 (for cancellation dept). You may be placed on hold for a minute or two. I was on hold for about 15 seconds. Also, have your pin # ready.

When Alvin asked me what my issue was, I stated, “I recently read over my latest bill and noticed that the Regulatory Charge increased to .40, effective on January 1st. According to Sprint’s Terms of Service, I have 30 days to cancel my service of the Effective Date of this material change.”

Alvin complied fully with my request without argument. He even explained to me how to port my number if I would be obtaining a new service provider and would like to keep my current phone number. He notated my account and told me that I would not receive any termination fee. He also said that I would be receiving a credit once I had my number ported. He also mentioned that my new service provider would most likely ask me to call Sprint to confirm that the porting went through okay and that I was not billed. As Alvin explained it, however, as soon as the number is working with another service provider, all should be good to go.

I must say, this was the best customer service experience I’ve had with a large company. Sprint might be pumping up their customer service in anticipation of the fallout from competitors like AT&T, Verizon, etc. It’s a shame that their phones are not up to par.

I just called sprint and you have until March 16, 2010 to cancel your contract without an early termination fee! Just tell them you’re not happy about the regulatory charge increase and they will let you waive the ETF. Cancelling my service tomorrow after I port my number out!

I just called *2 and chose cancellation and simply told the rep that I wanted to cancel ETF free due to the increased fees to my account. She promptly and without hassle took care of it for me on all 3 lines.

I don’t plan on porting my number out, I just wanted out of my contract and to go month to month. Sure enough I called last night and the rep cleared it for me. Verified online… “Sprint Subscriber Agreement: Expired on 1/24/10”

Well, change of heart for us….I was out of my contract free and clear, all I had to do was port out numbers…So we went to At&t the next day and after looking at their plans and out of this world pricing plans…we decided to stay with sprint but ONLY if they would give us a great deal on our plan….The main reason I wanted out was for the Iphone anyway…and from the buzz on the net eventually that Iphone will be on Verizon, Sprint, Tmobile …etc…so Ill wait. But here is what I got from Sprint…for $105.00 per mo plus tax 1400 min, shared by 4 lines, unlimited text and data and mobile to mobile and nights and weekends starting at 7pm….you cant BEAT that anywhere! Esp considering Sprints “mobile to mobile” is for ANY CARRIER not just for fellow Sprint carriers….Im happy…I also got a free upgrade to a BB Tour which I LOVE….Thank you SPrint…now hurry up and get the Iphone lol

Just cancelled three lines at sprint due to “I disagree with the new regulatory charges” speach! Just saved $600 bucks and we now get away from the Evil Sprint!!! This really does work. Keep your cool and dont defer from :I disagree with the new regulatory charge”!

OK I DID ACCOMPLISH GETTING RID OF SPRINT TO ADD MORE FUEL TO THE FIRE SPRINT IS CHARGING YOU FOR USING THE SPENDING LIMIT FEATURE WHICH WAS FREE BEFORE JANUARY 10 JUST LET THEM KNOW STRAIGHT UP WHAT YOU WANT TO DO AND THEYLL LET YOU OFF I CANCELLED SPRINT IN LESS THE 10 MINUTES NO ETF OR ANYTHING BECAUSE SPRINT IS IN THE WRONG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!